


almost

by Okumen



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 06:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4993741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okumen/pseuds/Okumen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, something you don't expect happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	almost

_You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through._  
Rosalynn Carter

***

Kouen stumbled backward and landed on his rear end in the dirt, a cloud of dust rising around him. He coughed and climbed back to his feet. He fell back into stance, but the moment his arm connected with Mu's, he fell back against the ground again, flung outside of the small ring. The young man once more got back up, stepped over the thick, coiled rope and into the small arena, only to be thrown down once more. He refused to give up, but after having been flung through the air until he landed on the back many times over, he was forced to catch his breath.

Mu crouched down beside him, a cheerful smile plastered over his face. "We _could_ switch to swords, you know," he suggested, but Kouen shook his head. It caused another cloud of dust to rise, and Mu covered up a cough with a fist. "You're awfully obstinate, Master Kouen," he commented, and Kouen sat up. "Of course. I intend to beat you." Mu chuckled good-naturedly. "You realize that that is not happening, right? Least of all when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. You can't beat a fanalis." Kouen scowled. "You being a fanalis has nothing to do with it," he insisted. "I'm not bad at hand-to-hand, and one day I'll be good enough to beat you."

"Of course, Sir, if you're persistent enough, perhaps you might get lucky." Kouen kicked Mu in the shin. It was a dirty move to pull against an unprepared man, but it was worth a try.

He didn't succeed, anyway. Mu simply caught his ankle in his hand, and pulled him closer, still that smile on his face. Kouen glared up at him when Mu pulled him so close that their breaths hit each other's faces, Mu's calm, even one mixing with Kouen's heavy, uneven breath. Kouen was convinced that his bottom had to be covered with dirt from the ring, even more than his back and hair had to be. Mu leaned in closer, lips just a hair's breaths from Kouen's, and Kouen's breath stopped, despite how he was trying to catch it after the sparring session he had engaged in with the older man. "Really, Master Kouen," Mu murmured in a very low voice, and Kouen shivered when his lips brushed against his, "your stubbornness is really quite charming."

Then he pulled away, stood up, and offered Kouen a helping hand up. Kouen swallowed hard, heart beating wildly and cheeks flushed a slight pink, and it took a few moments before he accepted the help and let the nobleman pull him to his feet. He was just about to open his mouth to ask what exactly that had been about, when Mu shifted his attention to something behind Kouen. "Ah, Muron, you're home." Mu's younger sister Muron said that so she was, and she politely greeted her brother's friend. Kouen let his usual, cool expression mask his bewildernment with Mu's actions, and returned the greeting.

Then Mu offered him a bath and tea, as if nothing had happened, and the siblings lead him in to the Alexius manor. Still bewildered, Kouen allowed himself to be swept along with polite conversation and courtesies, until he was shown to the bath and left to his own device until he wished to rejoin the siblings. Once undressed and quickly washed off to get rid of most of the dirt, he sank into the warm water, and ducked his head underneath the surface. He tried to let the sounds of water rushing around him distract him, but he only kept on wondering just what Mu's intentions had been. He had likely heard his sister approach even before he saw her, so maybe that was why he had pulled away so suddenly. Or had he planned to do so from the start? It was hard to know without asking, but there was no way that he was doing that in a house where certain people could hear you from rooms away.

Running out of air, he broke the surface and emerged from the water, gasping for breath. He didn't need to figure it out right away, right? He could go have tea with the Alexius siblings, and during that time, he would observe Mu and figure out what the meaning behind the almost-kiss was.

For now, he really needed to collect his thoughts and hold back the blush on his cheeks. Or maybe he could stay in long enough for them to think that his cheeks were simply red from the heat of the bath. That was an idea that might work. Then it would be okay if he found himself unable to control the color of his face.


End file.
